In anticipation of our D.C. snow day I have been laying in lots of warm and cozy food, sweet treats and fun movies. Since it will be our first real snow storm, I wanted to bake something special for the occasion, and this apple rum cake was perfect! It’s sweet without being cloying, and the top has cartelized sugar on top for the perfect crunch. Plus, since it’s full of apples it’s appropriate to nibble on all day long!

It was super simple to make-

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cake pan (I love, love this PAM baking spray with flour. It really stops baked goods from sticking to the pan). Next, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bow and set aside. In another bowl, combine 1 stick of unsalted butter, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp vanilla. Once creamed together, add in 2 eggs. Next, mix in the flour mixture and 2 tbsp rum (the rum is optional). Once everything is combined and there are no lumps, stir in 2 peeled and chopped apples.

Transfer to prepared cake pan, and sprinkle the top with 2 tbsp sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Then, eat! And watch the winter world go by.

How are you enjoying these winter nights? And to all my Florida friends, is it still warm? Are you enjoying walks in the sunshine?

Last week, to kick off the New Year, I made homemade pasta. It felt like the perfect way to start a new year - a new challenge that involved delicious food in our home, that was also a nod to our anniversary trip to Italy. IThe whole process took a bout an hour an a half, but it was so worth it! The pasta tasted delicious, and we felt like we were back in Rome. It was also a lot easier than I anticipated, and now that I know what I’m doing I think it will take a lot less time in the future!

As you can see in the pictures, I used my Kitchenaid mixer and the pasta maker attachment. While using the mixer is not necessary by any means, I think having the mixer attachment made the process a lot easier since I could use my hands to feed and catch the dough. My parents got the attachment for us for Christmas, since I have wanted to make pasta ever since we got back from Italy. It was the perfect gift; thank you!

For my first batch of pasta I used this recipe. You start out by using a mixer to mix the water, flour, eggs and salt in the mixer to combine, and then kneading the dough with the dough hook for about 2 minutes. Next, you knead the dough by hand a couple times and let it rest for 20 minutes. After that, you feed it through the pasta attachment - feed the dough through the flat roller a few times on each of settings 1-4, and then switch to the spaghetti cutter. That’s it! You’ll have about 5 servings, and can freeze the extra.

I felt so accomplished when it actually looked like pasta! And then when it tasted good, well let’s just say I go by chef Allie now ; )

Have you ever made pasta? Do you have any good recipes? I’m excited to make it all the time now, and it’s how I’m going to lure people to come visit us. If you come to D.C. you get spaghetti… : )

The last new cookie recipe I tried this year are PB&J Thumbprint Cookies. They are a fun twist on classic thumbprint cookies and I am very pleased with how they turned out! They have a lot of flavor, and aren’t as heavy as some of the chocolate-y cookies that are popular this time of year. I also love that the jam adds a fun pop of color without food coloring.

To make-

Pulse 1 cup unsalted peanuts in a food processor. Make sure you only pulse until the peanuts are a fine meal, if you wait too long it will start to turn into peanut butter. Add in 1 cup old fashioned oats and pulse for another few seconds. Set aside.

Mix together 1 stick softened unsalted butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add in 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract and blend until smooth. Next, add in 1 cup flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix until combined, and then mix in the peanut and oat mixture.

Drop the cookie dough by the tablespoon full and bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Once the cookies are out of the oven immediately transfer them to a drying rack and press your thumb into each cookie to make an indent. Let cool.

Spoon jam of your choice into a small bowl and stir to loosen. Fill each thumbprint with jam and let settle. Enjoy!

Have you made any good cookies recently? I’d love to hear about the recipe!

The other day I made my second batch of Christmas cookies, with my second new recipe. I decided on White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies as something a little lighter, since the triple chocolate peppermint cookies I made are rather heavy (though delicious). These cookies were very simple to make, and don’t require any fancy ingredients. Also, the dough doesn’t spread so you can fit a lot on a baking sheet, which makes the baking process a lot faster!

One of my goals for the holiday season is to try out three new cookie recipes. I decided to start with this triple chocolate peppermint cookies. The cookies are chocolate, with dark and milk chocolate chips, with a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. They are very rich and very delicious. The perfect holiday accompaniment to a glass of milk or eggnog!

For frosting beat 4 ounces cream cheese and 3 cups confectioners' sugar until smooth. Melt 1/2 cup white chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds and then 30 seconds again. Add to cream cheese mixture. Add splashes of 2% milk until you reach a smooth consistency. Lastly, after you frost the cookies sprinkle on crushed peppermint candies. (To crush the peppermint I bought mini candy canes and placed them with a ziplock bag, and then crushed them with a rolling pin.)

Have you made any delicious cookie recipes lately? What’s your favorite holiday treat?

I made pumpkin cookies over the weekend, and it’s the best pumpkin cookie recipe I’ve used yet. They tasted far chewier and less cakes than other pumpkin cookies, and tasted perfect for fall. We had a friend in town for the afternoon on Saturday, which is what prompted me to make them. I tend to like pumpkin flavored food more than the rest of my friends and family, but these were a hit with everyone!

I always use this cookie tray, a wire cooling rack (both on sale!) and a solid flat spatula when I bake. It ensures that the cookies don’t fall apart, and transfering the cookies immediately from the baking tray to the cooling rack stops them from over cooking.

Whats your favorite new recipe? Any pumpkin dishes I need to try and make?

Last weekend I made the best apple pie I’ve ever had. It was so quick and easy, and I am so excited to share the recipe! I am definitely a pie person, and I made it so I might be a little biased, but it was so delicious. My husband couldn’t stop nibbling at it all night, and normally if it isn’t Oreos he doesn’t go back for seconds with dessert so I felt pretty good about it!

To make the pie:

Preheat oven to 425.

Peel, slice, core, and quarter 6-7 applies, depending on the size of the apples. You want the slices to make a mound that rises a few inches above the edge of the pie plate. I used this slicer/peeler and it speeds up the process considerably!

Then, in a sauce pan on the stove melt one stick of butter and mix with 3 tablespoons flour until combined. Next, add in 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, and a couple shakes of salt. Simmer on the stove until everything is melted, and constantly stir so that everything is evenly combined.

Line a pie plate with one crust. I’ll admit, I use store bought ones. I prefer the Pilsbury, but the Trader Joe’s ones are good too (just make sure you defrost them for 45 minutes at least). Fill the pie crust with the apples, and then pour the sauce on top. Place the other pie crust over the filling and seal the edges together. Finally, cut a few slits on the top.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, and then reduce oven to 350 and bake 35-45 minutes until pie crust is golden brown.

I recently started making Acai bowls for breakfast, and they are so easy and yummy! Plus, making it at home is so much cheaper than going out. Acai bowls are almost $8 around us, and they only cost a few to make.

Here's what I use for one bowl:1 packet Trader Joes frozen acai berry puree

Blend the acas packet by itself until smooth and creamy. Then add the berries, half of the banana, and the almond milk and blend until smooth. Transfer the puree to a bowl and add the granola, the other half of the banana sliced and cut up dates. Enjoy!

This weekend I wanted to try and bake something new, so I put together a white chocolate chip macadamia cookie recipe. The cookies hit the spot! I brought them to my parents, and they were a hit! We only have a few left, and that might not be the case tomorrow...

On Sunday I made peanut butter chocolate chip bars. After a relaxing Saturday, and largely conquering my cold, it was the perfect way to end my Sunday (and set our week up for success, i.e. good dessert!). After making so many cookies recently (see here, here, here and here) I decided to switch it up and make a dessert bar. Since peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations, I decided on peanut butter chocolate bars and they did not disappoint! They were very quick and easy to make, quicker than cookies, and delicious!

After going to Momofuku Milk Bar last weekend I was inspired to bake this weekend. I don't need much convincing to make something sweet, so it didn't take too much thought before I decided to try to make sprinkle cookies. These are my favorite treat from Milk Bar, so getting to enjoy them all week is going to be wonderful.

The only caveat to this recipe is that it required a few ingredients I didn't have on hand, namely corn syrup, powdered milk and grape seed oil. Also, just FYI, I tried to swap out the grape seed oil for canola oil, and the dough of the cake crumbs wasn't perfect. Next time I'll use grape seed oil.

Now I'll I need is a glass of milk!

Have you made any good cookies yet? Please share, I love trying new recipes!